It has nevertheless propelled the girl brought up in the Zhejiang province of Eastern China into one of the most exclusive social sets in London.

Grant is close to cousin Flora who lives an imposing three-storey town house in Notting Hill, the backdrop to one of the star’s most famous films. Last year he donated £10,000 to Flora’s JustGiving fundraising site when she ran the London marathon. Nigella Lawson was another donor offering £200 while Camilla Soames donated £100.

Flora declined to comment last night when asked whether she had bought the house on Grant’s behalf.

Tinglan’s romantic relationship with Grant might be over but his spokesman insists the star will be a ‘supportive’ father.

'He is a bit of a sad character, and Ting seemed to be filling a void in his life'

The actor, who is estimated to be worth £40million, started dating Tinglan in January when they were seen kissing at a pub in Kensington near his £3million home. Grant is regularly seen with dates in the bars of Kensington and Chelsea but friends say he had hoped to keep the relationship secret.

Tinglan was described at the time as an actress but she is not listed on the film database IMDB and there are no traceable records of her participating in any television or film projects.

A friend said: ‘He is a bit of a sad character, and Ting seemed to be filling a void in his life – telling him all the time that he was wonderful.’

At the time they were seeing each other Tinglan was aware Grant was seeing other women.

Fatherhood: Hugh Grant arriving at the home of Hong, to see his baby

In April, the couple were photographed at a fashionable Vietnamese cocktail bar near his home but Tinglan – by then pregnant – was not drinking.

The couple appeared awkward together and in deep conversation.

When his daughter was born, Grant was in Liverpool at the Labour Party conference where he was praised by deputy leader Harriet Harman for ‘bravely speaking out’ about the News of the World hacking scandal.

Legally, the baby’s birth must be registered by next Monday. The new mother was wearing dark sunglasses when she left her new home in her silver Mercedes CLK yesterday to buy the day’s newspapers.

Friends of Tinglan in China have told how she allowed the star to call all the shots in their relationship.

One said: ‘When she was dating Hugh Grant, he was still dating other women. She knew that and she accepted it.

‘She was subservient to Hugh during their relationship. Every time they met, she would choose the most convenient place for Hugh.’

Latest squeeze: Elisa Schmidt, a German burlesque singer, was spotted with Grant in Berlin this week

Tinglan is understood to have grown up in Lishui in China’s Zhejiang province, where her mother was a successful businesswoman.

On Chinese language websites her school friends tell of a fun-loving, rebellious student who left her well-to-do family behind to seek a new life in England.

One friend said she was pretty and confident, standing out from her conservative fellow students with her ‘weird clothes’ and hair dyed in different colours.

Neighbours at Tinglan’s old flat in New Malden remember her as a girl who enjoyed a good social life.

One said: ‘Cars would turn up late at night and drop her off – you used to see Mercedes and Bentleys turning up at all hours. Once she was in her flat, you might not see her again for a couple of days.’

Hugh Grant is a major star in China, where his inoffensive romantic comedies cause no difficulties for Communist Party censors and are massively popular, particularly among women. However as news of Tinglan’s relationship with the actor spread across Chinese blogs yesterday, most fans were disapproving.

‘Elizabeth Hurley is such a fantastic woman and even she couldn’t keep hold of Hugh Grant so what chance does a plain Chinese girl have?’ wrote one blogger.

Another said: ‘Hugh is a playboy who needs his freedom. He can’t stay with one woman.’